Chief Zanzan Karwor (also rendered Zanzan Karwo, Zanzar Kawor, or Zanzan Karwah, and sometimes styled Chief Zoe Zanzan Karwor) is a Liberian traditional leader who served as Chairman of the National Traditional Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia (NTCCEL) from 2006 to 2024. He is from Grand Bassa County and maintained an office in the Sinkor neighborhood of Monrovia during his tenure.
Career Karwor was elected chairman of the council in 2006 at a ceremony in Gbarnga, Bong County, having earlier served on an interim basis under the administration of President Charles Taylor. As chairman, he acted as a principal liaison between Liberia's central government and traditional communities across the country, and was involved in mediating disputes between political and civic factions.
In February 2016, a group of paramount chiefs representing Liberia's political subdivisions passed a vote of no confidence in Karwor's leadership, arguing that his official term had expired in August of that year under the council's governing rules and that he had delegated administrative authority within the counties to traditional zoes rather than exercising it himself. Karwor continued in the role for several more years.
In 2023, Karwor served as orator for Liberia's National Independence Day celebrations on 26 July. Later that year, he urged traditional leaders in Nimba County to support President George Weah's re-election campaign, and separately called on chiefs to allow all political parties access to their communities during the election period and to refrain from using traditional practices to intimidate non-members. His public support for the ruling party drew criticism from opposition-aligned commentators, who argued it compromised the neutrality expected of his position; Karwor has consistently denied that his conduct was biased.
In 2019, Karwor publicly denied reports that he had been reprimanded by President Weah over a traditional honour bestowed on Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor by chiefs in Bong County.
End of tenure In August 2024, Liberia's Minister of Internal Affairs, Francis Sakila Nyumalin, announced the expiration of Karwor's tenure as chairman, as part of a government initiative to replace the NTCCEL with a newly established National Council of Chiefs under the Local Government Act of 2018. On 9 August 2024, Boinsen Chiefdom Paramount Chief Arthur Dowah of Bong County was elected as the new head of the restructured National Council of Chiefs.
Personal life and health In early 2025, social media reports falsely claimed Karwor had died; Liberian fact-checking organisation Dubawa confirmed the reports were false. By February 2026, Karwor was reported to be in poor health, having undergone a leg amputation linked to complications from diabetes. Advocates and members of the public raised concerns about inadequate government support for his medical care, and a fundraising effort was organised on his behalf.
References